Most fossil burning plants, such as utility plants, presently utilize a burning or firing combustion process in which most of the thermochemical reaction takes place beyond the burner duct port in the furnace work chamber. Further oxidation of the unburned fuel particles exiting the burner is termed "residual-combustion" and equates to a degree of inefficiency. The negative resultant aspects following initial combustion in the burner effects the reformulation of unburned hydrocarbons having a higher ratio of carbon to hydrogen, an added detriment to the further completion of combustion. In order to finalize combustion, excessive amounts of combustion air must be introduced into the work chamber and various methods of under/over firing with gaseous fuels must be utilized to effect "reburn." This results in over-voluminous, inefficient and high cost boiler structures.
Past attempts by various firms knowledgeable in the art of thermochemical combustion to develop a combustor designed to complete all oxidizing rate-reactions have failed. During the 1980s the DOE funded millions of dollars to such projects. Operationally, the then designed combustors thermochemically failed to totally oxidize the carbonic elements. This resulted in a graphitic "char" formation causing clogging and eventual shutdown of the process.
Present firing combustion processes also exhibit post combustion problems which adversely affect the environment. Pollutants formed by sulfurous compounds and nitrous oxides and particulates, unless treated by expensive control systems, typically result from presently utilized combustion processes. A more advanced thermotechnical method for the oxidative combustion of hydrocarbons is desirable in order to eliminate or reduce problems associated with these pollutants.